Apparatus and method for forming solid fuels into films or bands



April 21, 1953 E. RlvocHE ET AL 2,635,286

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FORMING SOLID FUELS INTO FILMS OR BANDS Original Filed Nov. 21. 1947 BY WOM,

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 21, 1953 APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FORD/[ING SOLID FUELS INTO FILMS OR BANDS Eugene Rivoche and Marie Barsky, Washington, D. C.

Original application November 21, 1947, Serial No. 787,266. Divided and this application June 8, 1951, Serial No. 230,492

4 Claims.

This application is a division of our copending application Serial No. '787 ,266, led November 21, 1947, now Patent No. 2,556,217, issued June 12, 1951.

This invention pertains to apparatus and method for producing congealed fuels as in ribbons, films or bands for convenient'l or tight packing.

Various methods are known for transforming liquid fuels, and more particularly gasoline or alcohols, into solid or congealed masses, which are used as such for the purpose of preventing numerous inconveniences. In many cases, as particularly during transportation and storage, liquid fuels are inconvenient and dangerous as they are volatile, have a low firing point so are explosive and are subject to vapor loss, and there is great diiiiculty in preventing losses through leakages and the formation of explosive mixtures by the gases evolved by them. Moreover, with the processes known and used up to the present, liquid fuels, after having been transformed into the solid state, can no longer be brought back again to their former liquid state and quality.

The first or gelatinizing stage of the process consists in mixing cold and with strong agitation the liquid fuel with one or more gelatinizing substances such as keratine, gluten, algin, pectine and the like, during a period of -20 minutes, thus obtaining a product having a gelatinous consistency.

This emulsion is then brought into contact by the apparatus and methods hereinafter described, with a bath of suitable metallic salts rich in oxygen, which may be peroxides, sulphates, persulphates, chromates, bichromates, borates, perborates, manganates, permanganates, and the like, or tannin, oxymethylene, calcium chlorate, sodium chlorate, etc., in a liquid state.

In recent years, much progress has been made in technique of producing congealed, solid gasoline and hydrocarbons generally, and processes are known in which presentation of fluid fuels in such sufficient solid form to keep them in shape without special packing and susceptibility to transportation to storage. These are essentially processes using basic raw products for solidiflcation of alginates, algins and other similar products on which the action of metallic salts is used to provoke the jellication of the algin solutions. Most of these products are presented in ball or globule forms and sizes. However, even with the present processes there are still many difficulties to overcome.

First- The stabilization of the congealed product and the establishment of a stable equilibrium is characterized with a contracting action and rejection of supplemental or surplus water. This is a long process as much time is required for the stabilization of the product and the elimination of the moisture content of the particles proportionate to the diameter or thickness of the particles formed.

Second-A standard content of moisture in the individual particles is difcult to obtain by drying in conventional tray or conveyor systems, as the particles do not have the same moisture content. In such systems, they fail to acquire a homogeneous drying of each particle but there occurs a general loss of a certain percentage of moisture from the whole mass of dried particles Without the guarantee that each individual particle Will have the same elimination of moisture.

Third- In the presentation or production of the particles in spherical formation, like balls or globules, an inevitable loss of volume of substantially 25% average will occur, and the formation of the balls or globules of congealed fluid by projecting or dropping the fuel emulsion into the congealing bath causes a substantial evaporation loss.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide apparatus for congealing fuel, such as a petroleum product liquid, into a band, film, ribbon or the like.

Another object of the invention is to congeal a petroleum product fuel into a ribbon, or the like in such a manner that there is substantially no evaporation loss.

Another object of the invention is to transform a liquid fuel of low firing point into a congealed mass of high ring point.

Another object of the invention is to congeal liquid combustible fuel into a ribbon or the like of a predetermined thickness and moisture content to permit easy and safe handling and storage.

Another object of the invention is to provide mechanism for forming laminations of congealed fuel which may be wound on rolls of a desired thickness or arranged in blocks of selected size.

Another object of the invention is to form fuel into a ribbon, or the like, which may be backed to give strength thereto or for separation or storage purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide mechanism for congealing a petroleum product to a state where it is readily molded.

With these and various other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of an apparatus embodying the invention, the f same showing a device wherein the fllm of congealed fuel is lapped upon itself in a receptacle; and

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional top plan 4 tember 14, 1936, and as noted above. In the uppermost position of the manifold 30 nozzles 38 are preferably below the top level of the bath and the nozzles are adapted to be lowered to a position such that the lm formed in the receptacles 42 and disposed in layers therein substantially fills said receptacles. 'It will be seen that the emulsion supplied under pressure is supplied to the inside of the receptacles 42 which view of a portion of the apparatus and a storage receptacle illustrated in Figure 1, the same being taken substantially in the plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure l.

Referring more particularly to the construction illustrated in Figures l and 2, a receptacle such as the tank is provided with an inlet 22 through which the liquid comprising the solidication salt bath is supplied to said tank, said salts being suitable metallic salts rich in oxygen, such as are enumerated above.

Thetank is provided with re-circulating means such Vas pipe 24 connected to said tank and through pump 26 to pipe 28, which is in turn connected to said tank whereby the bath can be kept in motion by operation of the pump, it beingunderstood that a suitable level of the bath is maintained at all times.

A manifold 3D is disposed in said tank below the liquid level, said manifold being adapted to be oscillated from its midpostion, shown in full lines, tothe left and toward the right as viewed in VFigure l, tothe dotted line positions 32-and 34.. Said manifold is provided with upwardly extending conduits 36 of any selectednumber, shown three, said conduits being provided adjacent theV upper ends thereof with a slotted nozzle 38; The-manifold 3U is also adapted to move from its topmost position as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 to itslowermost positionl as shown at 40. Any suitable mechanism for causing the reciprocatory motion toward the right and left and the downward motion may be utilized-such as pneumatic, electric or manual means operated through suitable cranks and levers or through` rollers and tracks of the proper shape. It is noted that the manifold may be made to moveI only.- in a vertical directionin which case they nozzles are moved fromside to side; or'the manifold may be made to move only from side to side and the nozzles move vertically; or the nozzles may be made to move from side to side andvertically and the manifold may remain stationary. y

Storage receptacles42 are adapted to be `supported as at-43 with respect to the nozzle 38 so that. the. nozzle may be moved from side to side of said receptacle as it is moving from the-closed to the open end of said receptacle. The nozzle is of` substantial T-shape and in its long dimension substantially fits the shape of the receptacle as illustrated in Figure 2. Y,

V'Ihe manifold 3B is connected through a suitable flexible connection 44 and pipe Mirto a suitable` source of emulsion supply from which .the emulsion is supplied to the manifold and nozzles under pressure, any suitable valve 01- other control means being provided. The fuel` emulsion is such as Adescribed in applications of Jean Pathus Labou1,Serial No. 142,153 and 12,15%,.led Februaryf-28, 1948,r or in` the: French Patent of de Granville, Patent No. 802,727, published'Separe completely filled with congealed emulsion in a ribbon-like form, as upon contact with the bath solution the emulsion is immediately congealed intoa film or ribbon-like shape, and the sideto side and lowering movement of the nozzles causes a continuous film to be formed wherein the layers overlap one another as illustrated by the dotted lines 48 as shown in Figure 1. The receptacles are substantially filled when the manifold 30 reaches itsY lower dotted line position as shown at 4l] in Figure l, at which time the supply of emulsied fuel is shut oi so that no further fuel is supplied to the manifold 3U. The receptacles can then be removed and new receptacles substituted therefor, and the manifold 3B returned to its raised position, whereby the process may then be repeated.

It is to be understood that this application 1s not to be limited by the exact embodiments of the device shown, which are merely by way of illustration and not limitation as various and other forms of the device will, of course, be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims. I

We claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a tank, anl inletl for supplying and maintaining a bath of fuel congealing material inv said tank, means for supporting storage receptacles in said bath in predetermined positions, a manifold disposed in said tank below the bath level, means for supplying fuelv emulsion to saidV manifold under pressure, and conduit members connected to said manifold, said conduit members having expulsion means thereon' movable in a vertical direction and horizontally reciprocable in the receptacles and below the bath level to cause a continuous stream of fuel emulsion to be supplied in said containers whereby layers of congealed iuid lm are supplied to said containers.

2. In a device of theA character described, the combination of a tank, an inlet for supplying and maintaininga bath of fuel congealing material insaid-tank, means for'supporting a storage container in said bath in' a predetermined position, means for supplying fuel emulsion under pressure, and connected to said last-named means a conduit member having expulsion means thereon adapted toV be disposed to' said container and below the bath level, said conduit being movablev in a vertical direction and horizontally reciprocable to so move the expulsion means to cause acontinuous stream of fuel emulsion to be supplied in said container whereby layers of congealed fluid lm are supplied to said container.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a tank, an inlet for supplying and maintaining abathof fuel congealing material in said tank, means for supporting storage containers in said bath in predetermined positions, a manifold disposed in said tank below the bath level, said manifold being movable in a vertical direction and horizontally reciprocable, means for supplying fuel emulsion to said manifold under pressure, and conduit members connected to said manifold, said conduitl members having expulsion means thereon adapted to be disposed in said containers and below the bath level, said conduit members being movable by said manifold to so move the expulsion means to cause a continuous stream of fuel emulsion to be supplied in said containers whereby layers of congealed fluid lm are supplied to said containers.

4. A method of forming a solid iilm or band of fuel, comprising expelling a fuel emulsion through a nozzle in a continuous stream into a bath of liquid fuel congealing material, while continuously reciprocating said nozzle horizontally below the liquid level of said bath and simultaneously lowering said nozzle, to form a plurality of layers of congealed fiuid lm or band.

EUGENE RIVOCHE. MARIE BARSKY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,333,699 Brosi Nov. 9, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 269,459 Italy Nov. 20, 1929 332,353 Great Britain July 24, 1930 

